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Eye health

Preventing Sight Loss

According to Public Health England, Barnsley has the worst rate of preventable sight loss in the country. Half of cases are avoidable by having regular eye tests every 2 years, stopping smoking, eating healthily, keeping eyes covered in the sun and only drinking alcohol in moderation.

Eye tests

Depending on your age and circumstances, or if you suffer from a particular health condition, you could be entitled to a free eye test or help towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses. You're also entitled if you receive certain benefits. Find out if you're eligible for a free eye test on the NHS website, or check with your optician before you book your test.

Barnsley Optometry First - Minor Eye Conditions Service (MECS)

There are 25 opticians in Barnsley who offer a free service for people with minor eye problems including sore eyes through the MECS scheme. Patients will be asked questions about their symptoms to assess how serious the problem is and will be offered an opticians appointment within 24 hours if urgent or within a few days if less urgent. This means you don’t have to wait to see a GP or attend A & E.

Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO)

As part of the RNIB, the ECLO, based at Barnsley Hospital is here to help you and your loved ones face the future with confidence. We are able to assist people with an eye condition to access the support they may need, when they need it.

We provide advice on a range of matters, including:

Living with sight loss and remaining independent

Details of latest aids, equipment and technology

Benefits and concessions you could be entitled too

Education, employment, housing and leisure

Eye conditions and treatment information

Emotional support

The advantages of certification and registration

If you are newly diagnosed or have been living with a sight condition for some time, we are here to help.

For more information, contact the Eye clinic officers on 01226 432684.

Sensory Impairment Team

If you have any sight or hearing loss that affects your daily life, you can find out more about an assessment and receive advice and support on specialist equipment to help you live independently. There is no charge for the service, but there may be a cost for some of the equipment recommended for you.

Barnsley Education Inclusion Services

Helping schools and settings support children and young people with SEN and disabilities. Our specialist qualified team of professionals have a breadth of knowledge and experience in meeting the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

We can offer your school or setting tailored support to improve the progress and outcomes for pupils who have a range of SEND needs.

Barnsley Vision Strategy

Prevention - To improve eye health and prevent sight loss across England within diverse groups and the wider population.

Commissioning - To promote effective commissioning strategies across health and social care supporting an integrated and person-centred pathway.

Services - Adults, children, young people and their families have access to the right services, advice and support when eye health and sight loss problems arise.

Independence - Adults, children and young people can learn, relearn or retain key life skills on a continuing basis as driven by their needs with access to appropriate professional support, aids and adaptations including technology.

Self-determination - To develop and enable face to face and online peer support opportunities and self-help and self-advocacy resources to empower adults, children, young people and their families to achieve their aspirations.

Inclusion - To promote inclusive environments and equality of opportunity to enable blind and partially sighted people to fully participate, contribute and live independently.

What's the purpose of the group?

We're working together to develop ways to prevent sight loss, promote local eye health services and develop services for Barnsley people who have a sight loss. We use the term ‘sight loss’ which includes people who have a sight loss that's affecting their everyday life; they may or may not be registered as sight impaired (partially sighted) or severely sight impaired (blind).

We want to:

work with people with sight loss to look at what can be done with the resources we have

let people know what is already available locally

help support new community projects and look at developing services

Your feedback

In April, adults with sight loss in Barnsley were invited to give us their priorities for the Vision Strategy Action Plan by completing a questionnaire. 94 questionnaires were completed. We looked at what people with sight loss said, and at a public engagement event in May discussed in more detail the key themes arising from the questionnaire. 28 adults with sight loss attended the event and gave their views.

Thank you to everyone who completed our recent vision questionnaire and attended our event at the Town Hall, we're now evaluating the responses we received.

We very much appreciate the time that people have given to completing the questionnaires and/or attending the event.

What happens next?

We're now analysing the outcomes of the questionnaire and the event. When we’ve brought all the information together we'll put the feedback onto this webpage. We anticipate this will be in the autumn, so please check for further updates. We've also plans to engage with children and young people later in the year - more information will follow soon.